Stamp Out Playboy

Tomi Ungerer
Playboy, January 1976

Michael Ffolkes
Playboy, March 1976

Sid Harris
March 1976

B. Kliban
May 1976

John Dempsey
June 1976

unwoke cartoons, part 3

As has been said elsewhere, you can't criticize people for not being “woke” when the concept of “woke” hadn't even been invented yet, and these cartoons prove it. It's 2018 now, and no editor would consider any of these concepts, but not that long ago subjects like these were considered normal in mainstream magazines, it's the sex or allusions thereof that were considered the shocking element.

Again, I feel the need to offer a trigger warning, but can't say what for because it would ruin the surprise for everybody else. I realize I and at least 80% of my audience are privileged enough to laugh at subject matter contrary to our own beliefs while still empathizing with everyone else. I'm pre-emptively covering my tracks too. This is the last in the series of gag cartoons too racist, sexist, homophobic, or just too 'ist' and 'ic' for other categories. The others are here and here.

Good Humor, circa 1964

Fun House, February 1979

Monsieur, October 1967

Don Orehek
Hi-Life, July 1963

HQ, February 1964

Ace, January 1973

Charles Dennis
Jem, March 1965

Bruce Cochran!
Penthouse, October 1978

Buck Brown
Playboy, March 1968

Playboy, March 1972

Sid Harris
Playboy, July 1972

Mal Hancock
Playboy, July 1972

Topper, November 1964

Cartoons of Playboy Past

Here's one of the very early Little Annie Fannys from before they started using assistants.

Their annual Christmas cards for the December 1963 issue. Obviously published before November 22, they had no idea what would happen then, and according to the Little Annie Fanny collection, excised all JFK material for their next issue at the last minute. As a bonus, the Kennedys are drawn by the great Jack Davis.

Also cards by Phil Interlandi, Gahan Wilson, Shel Silverstein, and Eldon Dedini.

From that same issue, the best of their cartoons from past issues up to that point. Also from the December 1963 issue.

On this page are John Dempsey, Erich Sokol, Phil Interlandi, and Bill Murphy

Phil Interlandi, Eldon Dedini, and E. Simms Campbell. I believe I posted the latter two before.

Charles Elmer Martin, John Dempsey, Dedini, and Claude Smith

Interlandi, Dempsey, Sid Harris, and Sokol

Interlandi, two by Murphy, and Dempsey. Everyone seems to be heterosexual at the nudist colony, but then again, this was before the protests at Stonewall changed everything.

Not sure who the upper left cartoonist is. The rest are Dempsey, Interlandi (again pre-Stonewall), and Gahan Wilson

Cartoons I don't get 21

Another cartoon, just like last week, I think about the Republican convention in Chicago, where having a third term was either something they were for or against. Whatever the case, I guess it was a big issue then. I think Grant was trying to get one. I don't know who all these people are either.

Considering even well-read people can barely keep track of what happened in the news earlier this year, it can be forgiven if anyone isn't clear on the most explicit political details of 135 years ago.

Puck June 16, 1880

“numphO-mania”? I guess if people were buying the magazines for the photos, there was no need for a proofreader for the text.

Fun House, February 1979

Hello Buddies. May 1955

Jest, circa 1942

Must have been the issues of that week. And if the legend about President Taft is true, I don't think he was this physically fit, , whether the story of his bathtub is true or not.

Judge October 9, 1909

Next two from Life February 16, 1905

Yes, I know this is a parody of the quote from Alfred Lord Tennyson relating it to these new motorcars, but is this supposed to be a caricature of anyone?

James Montgomery Flagg

Bernard Wiseman

Pic, November 1952

Buck Brown

If there was turbulence this bad, wouldn't everyone else notice and wouldn't the rest of the food also slide down?

This cartoon is fifty years old. See how many mistakes you can spot that wouldn't be possible in air travel today, even in first class.

Playboy, December 1967

Punch September 29, 1915

The Dude, March 1957

For those old enough to have been around during payphones, has anyone ever actually seen a number written on the wall near one? And even if so, did anyone ever actually call it? And even if so, have there ever actually been any successful hookups because of it? Was it the Tinder of the time?

Sid Harris

Playboy, January 1968

I wonder how many cartoons there have been where the punchline is that a newly married couple is checking into a hotel room solely for the purpose of screwing. Another cartoon where you'd get the joke now and look at it and think “So what? What's the big deal?”

The reason for a lot of repetition of so many gags is that the cartoonists probably didn't know that decades later, some guy would collect moldy old magazines just for the cartoons and put them on his blog.

He, March 1955